Chapter 336 – How to Stop Mjolnir’s Lightning #2

While on the way from Bella’s mansion to the lord’s castle, I finished altering the blueprints for the obelisk.
The design was completed so that it could withstand Mjolnir’s lightning without Orichalcum, only with metal on the ground.

‘It ended surprisingly quickly.’

Of course, you shouldn’t be relieved that you’ve finished the work of transforming the blueprint.
Design drawings are just a theory.
In my transformation blueprint, the process of creating a replacement for Orichalcum was more important than anything else.

What if you could artificially inject divine power into earthly metal to make it similar to the celestial metal Orichalcum?
If this hypothesis were proven, the obelisk could be built without problems.

“Bella-sister, order the servants to make 6 copies of the obelisk blueprints. We have to distribute them to the attendees at the meeting.”
“Well, do you really intend to express your opinion on my behalf?”
“It can’t be helped. Is there a way for Mjolnir or Delia to block Mjolnir’s lightning? It’s better to do something than to become electric roasted chicken together.”
“I’m a little worried. Still, sister will only trust you. Give me the blueprint.”

After arriving at the lord’s castle, Bella ordered the servant who had brought the wagon to make a copy of the blueprint.
Although time was tight, they managed to create six obelisk blueprints before the meeting started.

“I’ve made copies of the blueprints you requested, Miss Bella.”
“Give it to Luke, not me.”
“All right!”

I got 6 obelisk plans from Bella’s servant.
After that, it was already 1:00 PM the moment Bella and I arrived at the conference hall of the lord castle.
It was time for the meeting to begin dealing with Mjolnir’s lightning strike.

The moment I entered the conference hall, I could see 5 people gathered at a round table.
All of them were leaders representing the armed forces of Yoensu.

‘Most of them are familiar faces.’

Let’s introduce them one by one.
First of all, I should introduce the lord who rules this city, right?

‘Count Harold’

The lord of Joensu and the one who commands the city’s defenders.

‘Father Franz’

A priest representing the Joensu branch of Kwangmyungsung Church.

‘Bellatrix’

My lover who runs the adventurer’s guild Galarhorn.

‘Delia’

The half-elf heir to inherit Ninggard, an association of rune mages.

There was only one person I didn’t know in this conference room.
It was the mage tower owner named James.
Although I was one step behind the head of Ninggard, I couldn’t deny that the mage lord was also far superior to me as a mage.

‘James, Master of the Mage’

The owner of the mage tower that governs wizards.
I took a closer look at James from his seat in the conference room.

‘The Magic Tower Master hasn’t changed since I saw her before.’

He was a middle-aged man who adorned himself with jewels of magical significance.
He’s wearing a thick coat, so even though he’s a wizard, he looks good.
Actually, this wasn’t the first time I’d seen James.

Remember when I was a poor adventurer, selling goblin fangs to make ends meet?
It was two years ago, when he had just received a magic book as a gift from an old man before he met Rebecca.

In order to make a living, I worked part-time as a corpse cleaner in the Mage Tower and did my best.
At that time, while wandering around the tower, what I happened to see was the owner of the tower.

‘I thought I would never meet such a proud guy in the past.’

Two years ago, James was adorning himself with jewels as he does now.
Looking at James, memories of his past, when he envied him to the point of tearing blood, came to mind.

But now it’s different.
Before I could even say hello, James surprisingly spoke up first.

“Nice to meet you, Luke. It’s an honor to meet the rumored archmage candidate.”

He called me by my first name so naturally.
I’ve never given James a business card.
This is the first time we’ve ever had a conversation!

“I-I am also honored to meet the Lord of the Tower. But how do you know my name?”
“How could you become the lord of the Mage Tower and not know you? Anyone who has become a first-class mage in just two years will know that the greatest genius mage ever. The society of the Mage Tower is marking you as a candidate to become the next great mage. Even I, the owner of the mage tower, can’t get out of the realm of a first-class wizard.”

It was something I had heard from Delia before.
I am currently being treated as a candidate for the next archmage amongst the wizards of the continent.
Even the owner of the Magic Tower would naturally have no choice but to show interest.

“Are you saying that the Mage Tower Lord is not a candidate for the Archmage?”
“I’m too old to be a candidate for the Archmage. Young people like you will have an advantage over me to achieve the great work of a wizard. Do you know how old I will be this year?”
“I do not know.”
“He’s 120 years old.”
“…You are 100 years older than me.”

The wizard’s great achievement is a word that expresses the achievement of becoming an archmage.
If you were 120 years old, even if you were a first-class wizard, it was time to leave the world.
In this world, acquiring superhuman strength did not particularly extend lifespan.
If you want to live over 200 years, you have to be at least the level of a great wizard or sword master.

“You still look young, don’t you?”
“I made my appearance look younger with magic. The real me is an old man with wrinkles.”

James’ appearance, which looked like a middle-aged man, seemed to be the result of some kind of magic trick.
The society of first-class wizards, except for me, was all too old.
It’s actually a silver town made up of wizards!

“Anyway, nice to meet you, old man.”

After greeting James, Earl Harold, who was watching us, opened his mouth.
It seems that James and I were keeping an eye on each other until we finished our greetings.

“Hmmmm, Mage Lord. Excuse me, can we start the meeting? Delia-nim, the successor of Ninggard, is waiting for you.”
“Sorry to have kept you waiting so long. Let’s begin.”

Earl Harold, who had asked James for his understanding, looked towards Delia and once again asked for his understanding with respectful words.

“Delia-sama, let’s start the meeting.”
“Okay, let’s go! What are you asking about? A bother.”
“To be polite to you two.”

Although he was Count Harold, who ruled Joensuu, in fact, his right to speak in this meeting room was not very high.
The master of the magic tower and the successor of Ningard were so powerful that even a great nobleman, about the size of a count, noticed them.
Delia was also a mesquite in front of me, but she had a noble status in front of people outside.

Count Harold finally proceeded with the meeting after the two wizards gave permission.

“As you all know, the Demon King’s army is now advancing towards Yoensu. Thanks to Delia-nim’s help, we were able to see through the identity of the Demon King’s army. It is an army led by Wiseman, the hidden descendant of the Demon King.”
“I heard the news from the Mage’s Tower too. A Wiseman named Thunder is leading the Demon Lord worshippers with Mjolnir? They say he’s slaughtering the Northerners by dropping thunderbolts on his way.”
“That’s right! Mjolnir’s thunderbolt has the power to destroy even fortresses. Right now, Tehar Fortress, which defended the southern border of the Northern Territory, is in ruins. I will show you the situation at Tehar Fortress with a magic crystal ball.”

The magic crystal ball was an artifact that reflected the scenery of a specific area.
Because the Northern Army used magic crystals as a means of communication, they could see the situation of the fortress at a glance.

“Hogan, bring the magic crystal ball.”
“Yes, Count!”

Hogan, a vassal of Count Harold, brought the magic crystal ball and put it on the table in the meeting room.
The landscape of the destroyed fortress was reflected on the globe-sized magic crystal ball.

Tehar Fortress.
It was a fortress that served as a gateway to defend the northern border. It was a strong place that prevented the invasion of barbarians or monsters from outside the border.
However, Tehar Fortress, which was now illuminated by the magic crystal ball, was in ruins.

‘The castle wall collapsed because it was struck by Mjolnir’s lightning.’

The collapsed walls left traces of being charred, so it was clearly visible that they had been struck by lightning.
The corpses of the Northerners are lined up around the walls. Most of the bodies were electrocuted.
It gives goosebumps how great Mjolnir’s power is.

Earl Harold opened his mouth with a bitter expression.

“Only an hour…! That was the time when Tehar Fortress was able to withstand the lightning strikes. It is said that hundreds of lightning strikes in an hour caused the walls to collapse. The invincible fortress that protected the Northern Kingdom was destroyed in vain by the power of magic. Is.”

Although he spoke briefly, Count Harold’s voice carried an immense weight.
The siege, which would have taken several days to fight in an ordinary war, was shortened to just one hour.

Even me listening to it gives me goosebumps.

“According to the information obtained from the Northern Army, the Demon King’s Army is now crossing the Ehar River. Calculating their marching speed, it will take approximately 9 days to reach Joensuu. 9 days from now, Mjolnir’s Lightning will fall on Joensu in the same way!”

As expected, on the 9th there was no chance that reinforcements would arrive from Ninggard in time.
After the arrival of the Demon King’s army, it would take another day for reinforcements to arrive.

We had to grit our teeth and hold on until the temple head Lawrence and the rune mages’ army arrived.

Delia frowned upon hearing Count Harold’s words.

“Director Lawrence is coming from the temple of Ninggard right now. To protect Bifrost. But on the 9th, the Demon King’s army is faster than the boss. That means we have to endure the lightning strikes of Mjolnir by ourselves.”
“I’m in trouble…”

Archmage Lawrence comes to protect Yoensu!
It was certainly hopeful news, but the faces of those attending the meeting were full of worry.

Wouldn’t it be possible to have hope or something if Mjolnir was stopped first?
It would be meaningless for Lawrence to appear after the city was destroyed.

“Now, from now on, I would like the conference attendees to freely express their opinions on how to block the lightning strike. We need your help to protect Yoensu.”

Earl Harold asked us for help with a desperate expression.
To be precise, he was seeking help from ‘Delia’ and the ‘Master of the Magic Tower’, not from us.
Everyone in the conference room looked at the two.
The only one who cared about me was Bella.

“…”
“…”

A heavy silence fell inside the conference hall.
Delia and James looked at each other and were deciding the order of who would talk about the solution first.

‘Didn’t I tell you to feel free to comment?’

Do I really need to hear their solutions first?
I don’t want to wait, so I’ll go first.

Anyway, Earl Harold told me to speak freely.
I got up and raised my hand.

“I’m Luke, a wizard belonging to Galarhorn. I’ll tell you the solution first. On behalf of Bellatrix, the owner of the guild here.”

It was the moment when my voice rang clearly in the quiet conference hall.
Delia and the Magic Tower Master looked at me at the same time.

“What?”
“Well…?”

It was as if the reaction was that I hadn’t even thought of going out.